How to Become an Electrologist in Florida: Electrolysis License Requirements

If you’ve always been a smooth operator, you have a passion for beauty and elegance, and you love helping people feel good about themselves, you might be wondering how to combine all these talents into a rewarding career. Perhaps you’re destined for a position as a professional electrologist.

The growing electrolysis career field is blooming with opportunity, especially in a warm-weather state like Florida where skin meets sun on a daily basis. Electrolysis customers want to be rid of excess or unwanted body hair, and electrologists are beauty or medical technicians who are experts in destroying the growth centers of hairs to create a smooth, hair-free result. If you’re considering a career in electrolysis, you probably have a few questions: How does one do electrolysis and how does the procedure work? What licenses, certifications, or trainings are required in order to perform electrolysis? And specifically, what does it take to acquire an electrolysis license in Florida?

How to Become an Electrologist

First, what is electrology, and what’s the purpose of electrolysis? Electrology is the permanent removal of hair follicles, often for customers who experience hereditary, hormonal, or metabolic conditions that cause unwanted growth.

Believe it or not, electrolysis as a procedure for the removal of hair has been around since 1875, devised as a treatment for ingrown eyelashes. Today, electrolysis is the only permanent hair-removal method approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and it’s the only solution that provides both removal and elimination of hair.

When you decide to become an electrologist, you join the cutting edge of beauty innovation. The process is virtually painless, has proven effective for all skin and hair colors and types, and can be performed on every area of the body. How to Do Electrolysis When a patient undergoes electrolysis, a tiny needle administers a minuscule electric current directly into the opening of a hair follicle and destroys the hair’s ability to grow and regenerate. The hair gets zapped to death, but the effect on the patient is minimal: Some experience tenderness or temporary redness of the treated skin, but those side effects subside quickly. Smooth skin is the long-lasting result.

Those results can be life-altering for customers who lack confidence because of unwanted hair growth, which can devastate some patients’ self-esteem and cause self-consciousness in social situations. But after successfully completing electrolysis training in Florida, you could be the one who performs that restorative procedure.

How to Get an Electrolysis Certification in Florida

Electrologist license and training requirements vary by state, and electrologists in Florida need licenses from the Electrolysis Council of the Florida Department of Health. The first step is to finish a 320-hour training with an approved electrolysis school in Florida. Then, one must pass the AEA Prometric Exam to become an electrologist in Florida. Then, the electrolysis student should apply for a license from the state of Florida.

The required 320 hours of coursework is broken down into 120 hours of classroom training and 200 hours of practical experience work (more details on electrolysis training in Florida below). Licensure applicants will also need to have in hand application fees, examination fees, proof of date of birth, proof of high school education, and proof of electrolysis training at one of Florida’s approved electrology training schools.

What Does Electrolysis Training in Florida Entail?

So what does electrology training look like in practice? While in electrolysis school, students learn about the different types (or modalities) of procedures used today: galvanic, thermolysis, and one that blends the two. Galvanic produces an electric current that spurs a chemical reaction to eliminate hair-growth cells, while thermolysis uses heat to destroy those cells within the hair follicle. You’ll also learn laser and light-based hair removal, which uses a beam of pulsating light to slow hair growth and remove unwanted follicles (but isn’t a permanent solution).

Because 120 hours of classroom training is required by state law, an electrology school’s curriculum should offer students a thorough, hands-on preparation of electrolysis and the customer service expectations of the profession. Training topics include hygiene, microbiology, and anatomy. The 200 hours of practical experience included in electrology coursework covers tools and techniques plus state regulations on electrolysis, including the prevention of medical errors. To renew your electrolysis license after two years, you’ll need to complete a two-hour course on preventing this type of error.

When you commit to starting your journey toward becoming an electrologist, the first step is finding the best school for your education. You’ll want a program that’s comprehensive to cover all processes and procedures, yet condensed enough to complete in a relatively short time.

What Does an Electrolysis Career Look Like?

Getting your electrology career going shouldn’t take more than six months. With the right training, you’ll be able to transition right into a salon, spa, dermatologist’s office, or other medical office immediately upon graduation. The right electrolysis school in Florida will be accredited, affordable, and accessible to all.

It’s a good time to enter the industry, as people of all ages are expressing interest in finding permanent solutions for removing unwanted hair from their faces and bodies. Your professionalism will determine how successful you can be, as electrolysis patients expect complete confidentiality and reassurance before the procedures are performed. When you take the responsibilities of the job seriously, you’ll be rewarded with satisfied customers who generate continual business through word-of-mouth praise about their positive experience in your care.

A lot of certified electrologists are self-starting entrepreneurs who long to open their own businesses. All of that is possible once you master how to do electrolysis and obtain your electrologist license in Florida.

Unsure whether a career in electrology is within reach? Contact Hollywood Institute of Beauty Careers for more information. Discover your future today!